The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-08-27
TRICKS OF THE COY GANG
Some of the Things That They May Be
Expected to Do at the City Election.
Methods by Which Fine Workers Can Easily
Wipe Out Majorities Without Danger
from the United States Court.

. Anything we do on the tally sheets at the
coming city election" said Democratic saloon
keeper to fellow Democrat, twill be all right
We can do what please with the ballots and
the ballot boxes and there will be no indict-
inents as john E. Sullivan draws the Marion
county grand juries for nearly four years to
come
why" said the Democrat to whom the fore
going remark was addressed, 1.-THE Coy gang IS
very cheerful over the approaching city election
They are prepared to win and will overcome
any ordinary majority that Denny may receive
In the first place, as the Republicans have
majority of only one in the City Council
and the Board of Aldermen is a tie,
Coy will demand that the Democrats be given
half the inspectors when it comes to naming the
inspectors for the different precincts of the
twenty five wards. They will make hot fight
for this and Coy counts confdentially getting
it. It was big thing to have the inspectors at
the November election. you recollect, and this
time there will be no fear Of any United States
Court Besides this it is Coys intention to have
the most experienced judges of election that can
be found to string tickets. good ticket strineer
never loses anything for his party. 1t is very
easy thing for a skilful operator to get zen or a
dozen more tickets string than voted.
Suppose this is done in every precinct in this
city.a majority Of two hundred and fifty or three
hundred for Denny-Tm for Denny you under
stand-coud easily be overcome; and if they
have the nerve they could even wipe out a
majority of five hundred by this sort of manipu-
lation
Howl inquired the reporter.
"When they come to the bottom of the box
and find ten more tickets than there names,
the officers put their heads together and agree
to throw out ten ballots To have it fair they
throw out five Democratic and five Republican
tickets. Don't you see that leaves the Demo
Gratis five votes more than were cast and they
gain just that many2 That trick done at
last November's election in a great many pre-
cincts. In the precinct of which Dan Lemon
was inspector there were twelve too many bal
lots; in the precinct of which Hisey was inspect
or there We're eleven too many; there were nine
too many in Steve Matters precinct and
nine or ten too many in one OF the precincts of
the Twenty fifth ward. There were others, but
L have forgotten them Sim Coy understands
all sorts of juggling with the ballot box. AT the
last city election Coy sent to Sterling Holt fifty
names TO be added extra votes the poll-list
and prominent Republican allowed number
of bogus afidavits to go in unquestioned. the
name of Peter Funk being signed to the afidavits
in the of half dozen who were ille-
gally allowed to vote. Coy, at the November
election, told number of Democrats that he
had trusted man in every precinct who would
get in ter votes The work, | have said,
done in some precnts but IN some they failed.
L suppose they got scared or it would have
worked all right in every precinct"
Some time ago Sim Coy showed a Democrat
in whom he had confidence, the double ticket
trick placing folded ticket inside of another,
the two to drop apart as they fell into the box.
Tickets arranged in this way were voted at the
November election, so this Democratic friend
says.
A trick that was played in the Seventeenth
ward at the fall election in 1880 told a
Journal reporter by a Democratic slick worker
xrb<s -, ,,-l,f - %I3 ,;1A< ~.
count of ballots was going on. In addition to
the inspector, two judges and clerks. there
two watchers. a Democrat and the other
Republican The Democrat watcher was mount
ed high stool great distance from
the ballot-box 1t plot had
been arranged and this watcher to add
the Democratic majority. About midnight a
leather-lunged Democrat hired for the purpose
came to the outside of the window of the room
in which the counting was going and yelling
"Hurrah for Garfield" threw a club through the
window. Every body inside greatly aston
ished, but the Democratic watcher was worse
frightened than nybody. He pitched forward
from his stool and falling, threw his arm across
the open ballot-oox. When the election board
got through counting there fifty tickets
too many in the box The Democratic ticket
ran greatly ahead at that election.
'Of course, the reporters didn't see everything
during the trial of the election conspirators"
remarked gentleman to a Journal reporter.
s'One thing that saw you ought to have il it
isn't too late. You know Coys great affability
and politeness Well, during the proceedings
in the federal courtroom saw him get COM
Portable seats and good positions for sew eral of
his friends. One day was somewhat sur prised
by reason of the awful check displayed by all
parties concerned, to him into the
room arm-ln-arm with Harvey r. Matthews and
find that person good seat Matthews, you
remember, was foreman of the Marion county
grand jury that refused to indct Coy and the
gang"
STOPPED THE BURIAL CEREMONIES.